Should Have Left It In The Gutter Where We Found It
by elconejorosado
Summary: Post Thor 2, although I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen in Thor 2, so bear with me once it comes out. The similarities between a woman and the god of mischief are astounding, but will this draw them together, or will it just drive them further apart? Will they help or hurt each other? A mixture of fear and courage leaves a bad taste in the mouth...


The scene begins in Asgard. Thor and Jane walk side by side, and behind them is a woman. They are walking towards the palace from the Byfrost, and are all talking as friends.

"Wow" was the only thing that could come out of her mouth when she first caught a glimpse of the castle. "I can't believe I'm actually seeing this… you live here?"

Thor chuckled and turned around to look at the woman. "Yes. I'm sure it must be a shock for someone of Earth to see this for the first time. You should have seen Jane's face when I first brought her here." He looked down at Jane to his left and smiled, remembering that chaotic time in their lives.

The woman behind them seemed almost alienated, since Jane and Thor had already dressed into more traditional Asgardian clothing while she was in a light blue dress and pink heels, adding more height onto an already tall person.

They continued their walk up to the golden staircase leading up to the very large gathering of everyone from the city to greet the fiancée of the soon-to-be king.

"Are you sure I should walk in with you guys? I'm not exactly part of the wedding…"

"Are you kidding me?" Jane said, "not only are you my cousin, but you are also my maid of honor so you are walking in with us! And do not pull the 'I'm shy' card on me girl because it's not going to work! You need to get over it."

Jane looked back at the woman and they giggled together as they reached the bottom of the stairs. They could hear the masses of people awaiting them. Thor turned to Jane and asked her if she was ready, and they exchanged nods. The woman walked up to stand beside Jane and whispered in her ear, "you may be ready, but I sure as hell am NOT."

Jane couldn't help but laugh and hit her on the arm. "You know, you're gonna have to get used to it eventually."

"Yeah," she said, "just not now…"

The woman started fussing with her long dark blonde hair that was slightly disheveled from the wind, and she straightened her dress slightly. She gave Jane and Thor a thumbs-up, and they started up the stairs…

The scene is inside the palace in Asgard. People are crowding the throne room awaiting the arrival of the company from Earth, while the current King and Queen are seated in their respective thrones, and Loki is standing to the side of his mother.

"I'm very excited to see her again," Odin said to his wife on his left. "She was so pleasant last time, after I got over the whole _mortal _thing. I can't wait for the wedding!"

"Calm, my husband! The wedding isn't for another six months, you have long to enjoy their company before you have to start getting excited about the wedding."

Loki observed the crowd with semi-disgust, thinking how loud it would get once they showed up. They were already late, so they were expecting them any minute. He hated when people were late. It just made him more irritable. He was lost in his own thoughts when the conversation between his mother and father caught his attention.

"And the other girl that they're bringing… is she agreeable?"

"I do believe so, my queen. The way she was described by Jane was very much in her favor. I believe she is a student, learning how to become a teacher."

Loki had not known that there was to be another guest, and wondered why he was always the one out of the loop. Just as he was about to ask about this other woman, the crowd got louder and started cheering. Thor had arrived…

The three of them were in the same formation, Thor and Jane together in the front, and the woman in the back. Nearing the top flight of steps, the woman's heart began pounding, and her nerves went out of control. The tops of their heads were seen by the masses, and the cheering began.

Their walk to the front where the rest of the royal family was sitting was excruciatingly long and awkward. No one knew who the other woman was, and why she was with them, but they cheered anyway, because they were in such good spirits. Walking behind Thor was actually hilarious because he looked like a little kid, proud to be getting so much attention.

Watching them so happy together made her laugh a little, knowing how strange the pair was, but knowing how true they were together. She couldn't help but smile for the rest of the walk towards (more) golden steps leading up to two thrones. They were magnificently gilded in gold, and she stared at the people sitting in them with wonder. She couldn't see much through the gap between Jane and Thor's heads, so she just waited until they got closer and the pathway got wider so she could step up in line with them.

They got closer, and the path got wider. The woman took the opportunity to step up next to her cousin, and when she did, she saw many people wearing quite extravagant clothes. The three stopped at the foot of the staircase.

As she kept on scanning, she saw warriors, the man who she assumed was Thor's younger brother Loki, servants, all dressed in capes and armor and gold. It was all quite dazzling, and she suddenly felt weird in her "Earth clothes." She looked down at what she was wearing, and looked back up mortified by the looks she was given by the King and Queen. She didn't know what they were thinking of her in that moment, but it looked like they were confused. Her face turned bright red…

Loki thought how they really must have taken their sweet time to get there, and he had to suppress a chuckle at how hilarious Thor was with all this attention. He just loved it. Loki did not feel the same way. He almost enjoyed being in the background, because then you are much more insightful and able to understand things better. He has learned that over the years.

"And there's Jane, looking lovely as always," he thought to himself sarcastically. "And there's the mystery woman. Great. I just _love _guests."

Looking back towards his parents, he saw them discussing something quietly, probably the other woman. If the crowd wasn't so loud he might have been able to hear what they were saying, but _no. _As they approached the bottom of the stairs, she came into full view standing next to Jane.

She was much taller than Jane, that's for sure, but the way they stood was so similar that they could be related. She had long, wavy, golden hair that was partially covering her shoulders. She wore a light blue dress and pink shoes that made her even taller than Jane to her right.

They stopped at the bottom of the staircase, as was custom before the royal family. The woman's face seemed to turn a few shades darker when she looked down at what she was wearing. True they were Earth clothes, but she wasn't expected to have traditional Asgardian clothing upon her first visit.

Loki glanced at his mother and father, and they seemed to be eying her strangely. He felt bad, seeing that she seemed so embarrassed. She wasn't the kind of person who was used to the spotlight, and he could understand that. He decided that to help her, he would go and escort her up the stairs. This was a strange thought for him to have, because he also hated being the center of attention, and wasn't used to noble actions being his inclination, but something about her made him pity her. He couldn't describe it.

He whispered to his mother to ask permission to escort her up the steps, and she nodded solemnly, with a look of surprise on her face. When he started making his way down to where they were standing, the crowd grew quiet. By the time he was at the landing, everything was silent.

He stepped next to the woman and held out his arm…

She couldn't understand why, but the man who she had assumed to be Loki was walking towards the three of them. His face wouldn't give away any explanation, being the somber person she had heard he was. Jane and Thor looked at each other in disbelief as he offered his arm to the woman.

She at first didn't understand, but when she looked over at Jane taking Thor's arm, she realized that he was offering the same. Slowly she moved her arm close to his, and slipped it through the gap he made. She couldn't look him in the eye, knowing that if she did she would just turn even redder. She wasn't used to this kind of chivalry, and she didn't understand why it was necessary for a woman to be escorted up about 10 steps. I mean she didn't mind…

She seemed so unsure of herself that Loki couldn't help but think of her as a helpless little creature to take pity on, while at the same time seeing so much of the same timidity that he had. She glanced over at Thor and Jane and realized what he was waiting for, and she slowly took his arm. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her and her profile, seeing little to no similarity in her and Jane's faces. He decided they mustn't be related.

Looking to his brother, Loki saw the disbelief and pride in Thor's eyes, seeing Loki change so much from his old, more mischievous ways. Thor nodded slightly at his brother, and began ascending the steps. Loki waited for them to get to the second step before following them. The woman seemed to jolt out of a silent stupor when he started guiding her up the stairs. She kept looking forward as to not look Loki in the eyes, and he found this slightly amusing.

He noticed while walking up toward his parents, that the woman was close to his height, probably because of the shoes she was wearing. But even without the shoes the woman must be very tall, especially in comparison to her friend. She was very slim, and when her hair moved away from her shoulders he could see her collarbones sticking out. She looked tense, because her neck was strained and she seemed to be only able to focus on the next step in front of her. He tried to look in front of him also, but he seemed to keep glancing back to the girl he was walking arm in arm with…

The only thing going through her head was "DON'T YOU DARE TRIP IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE." Well, maybe not the only thing. She was letting a strange man guide her towards royalty from a place she hadn't heard about until around a year ago. That was something to think about.

She felt like she was going to get sick, so she decided to block out thought and become mesmerized by the shininess of the stairs under her feet. She was good at not thinking. She had to when a lot of people were looking at her and she needed to look vacant. But it was usually in a much different setting than this.

Even as she pushed her thoughts away she became more aware of the fact that they had reached the top of the stairs, and now were directly in front of the King and Queen of Asgard.

Odin stood to introduce his guests, and as he turned them to face the crowd he announced, "People of Asgard. I am happy to tell you, that your beloved prince has returned with his fiancée, Jane Foster, from Earth. (applause) With her she has brought her cousin." He turned to the woman and said, "I'm sorry, what is your name?"

She at first couldn't think of her name, not being very good when put on the spot. Once she found her words, she said quietly to the King, "my name is Charlotte. Charlotte Wagner."


End file.
